Gun-cleaning compound and method of preparing same



Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

UN" sr ROBERT LAUGHLIN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COMMERCIALELECTRO- LY'IIC CORPORATION. OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

GUN-CLEANING COMPOUND AND METHOD OF PREPARING SAME.

No Drawing. Original application filed September 21, 1918, Serial No.255,087. Divided and this application filed February 15, 1919. SerialNo. 277,282.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT LAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Gun-Cleaning Compounds andMethods of Preparing Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to a chemical mixture of improvedqualities for facilitatin the removal of the metal fouling from t einterior of the barrels of rifles, guns, pieces of ordnance, and thelike, and is a division of my application Serial No.

255,087, filed September 21st, 1918.

The shooting of a rifle, gun or other field piece is usually attendedwith the deposition of an alloy known as cupro nickel or of copperuponthe interior of the barrel,

which in a relatively short time either clogs the barrel or at leastdestroys the effect of the rifling. It has been the custom in the pastto send the rifles and guns at frequent intervals to be rebored toremove this de- 25 posit or incrustation with the result that the armsare withdrawn for a time from service and with the further result thatafter a few said operations the bore is-ingreased to an extent thatrenders the piece useless.

I am aware that effort has been made in the past to provide for thechemical removal or loosening at least of this deposit. and this efforthas been in a measure successful, that is to say, the incrustation hasbeen effective- 86 ly removed. This deposit or' incrustation reqiuiresrelatively violent and strong action an the chemicals used havenecessitated active chemical reactions between the substances within thegun barrels themselves 40 and'have in the past required certain of theingredients to be liquid form. By reason of the necessity, prior to myinvention, of providing this substance in liquid form the cleaning ofthe gun barrels has been attended with considerable waste of materialand considerable difliculty' in obtaining proper proportions and it is.a prime purpose of my present invent-ion to provide chemicals for thispurpose of a'character l and in a form which will permit of previousaccuratemeasurement of the materials and which will reduce possibilityof wastage to a minimum.

My inventioncontemplates the division of the necessary chemicalsinto twobodies and the provision of each of these bodies in tablet form capableof being readily dissolved in a desired amount of water and then pouredin the gun barrel before the reactions are completed.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description.

A peculiarly efi'ective combination of materials is provided in theconjoint use of ammonium sulphate, ammonium per-sulphate and sodiumhydroxide or caustic soda.

The materials are provided in about their combining proportions and thesulphate and per-sulphate are preferably mixed and formed into tabletsand the sodium hydroxide formed into other tablets, the two tabletsbeing, furnished as a part of the necessary equipment for cleaning thebarrel. The mixture is formed by dissolving one or more tabletsof theammonium salts with one or more tablets of the caustic soda,

the number of tablets depending of course upon their relative size. Inpractice tablets of two different substances are used to form the guncleaning compound. One of these tablets consists of a mixture ofammonium persulphate and ammonium sulphate in the proportions of onepart ammonium persulphate with two parts of ammonium sulphate and theother tablet consists merely of the caustic soda or sodium hydroxide.These tablets are preferably of such relative size or used in suchrelative numbers that the final mixture will consist of one part sodiumtablet to four parts ammonium salts tablets. That is to say, tabletsformed as above and of the same size might be used as follows: fourammonium salts tablets together with one caustic soda tablet. Of coursethese proportions may be varied within limits, the foregoing proportionsbeing merely selected as those at present preferred.

In making the caustic soda into tabular 'form, I have found itessential, to facilitate compression and cohesion, to provide a mildlubricating binder ,to permit movement of the particles to compressedform and to Among approprihold them in position. atebinders may bementioned talc, stearic acid, powdered soap and graphite. Other bindersof coursemay be used. A highly important function -of the binder is tofacilitate the removal of the tablets after being formed and compressedfrom the mold or die in which forming and compressing operationshave-taken place. In other words it is the function of a binder to 1reduce the adherent properties of the caustic-soda for the material ofthe mold without-affecting materially or at least in such great degreethe coherent properties of the caustic soda which tend to maintain thecompressed mass in its attained form.

The caustic soda. is an extremely active chemical agent and has a highafiinity for the moisture of the atmosphere and considerable difiicultywas encountered by me in providing it in tabular form. However, Iprovide with it a lubricating binder as above stated and grind thecaustic soda with the binder to reduce the size of the particlespression and formation of the tablets is efless by fecteid from thisgranulated or powdered form and both the binder and the alkali arepreferably in granulated or powdered form and are maintained as dry asispossible. A very small percentage of binder is sufficient and I findthat the best rcsults are obtained when the binder is 3 per cent orweight of the caustic soda. It should be noted perhaps that the tabletsafter formation have not, by reason of their compression, as great anaffinity for the moisture of the atmosphere and can be exposed forrelatively longer times before sufiicient moisture is absorbed to have adeleterious effect;

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of itsmaterial advantages. the form hereinbefore described being merely apreferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A process or method of preparing a material resulting from anammonium salt and an alkali for removing metal fouling, con'iprising theprovision of the salt and alkali in solid form, dissolving the twotogather in water and applying the solution to the fouling during thereaction between the salt and alkali.

2. A compound for removing fouling from gun barrels and the like,comprising a. plurality of reacting substances in separated tabularform, the amounts of said sub,- stances in indivldual tablets beingappropriate to permit the obtaining of a desirous mixture by selectionof predetermined numbers of tablets of said reacting substances.

3. A compound for removing fouling from gun barrels and the like,comprising tablets formed of a mixture of a salt and a per-salt andother tablets formed of a hydroxide.

4. A process or method .of preparing a material for removing metalfouling, comprising the provision of tablets of measured amount of asalt and its per-salt and other tablets in measured amount of an alkali,dissolving tablets of the two groups in water and applying thesolution'to the fouling during the reaction of the salts andvthe 9alkali.

ROBERT LAUGHLIN.

